Overall, the Mormon divorce rate appears to be no different from the average American divorce rate. A 1999 study by Barna Research of nearly 4,000 U.S. adults showed that 24% of Mormon marriages end in divorce a number statistically equal to the divorce rate among all Americans. (svcw)
Right when the economy started dipping ('08), more couples were sticking it out (couldn't afford to divorce). That wasn't true in Utah...separations/divorces still increased. See story here: U.S. divorce dip excludes Utah: Recession has no effect on filings, despite national trend
UtahPolicy.com reviewed divorce-rate changes 'tween 2003-->2008. It measured % increases of divorce. The top five states with double-digit % increases over those five years were:
1. Alaska, 17.2%
2. Nevada, 14.2%
3. Colorado, 13.1%
4. Kansas, 11.8%
5. Utah, 10.5%
Source: Utahs Divorce Rate Much Higher than States Without Gay Marriage Bans (Jan. 14, 2010)
The next five states with a % increase for those years were:
6. Idaho, 9.3% (also a high Mormon populated state)
7. South Dakota, 9.2%
8. Arizona, 7.1%
9. North Carolina, 5.7%
10. Virginia, 3.9%
This means that Utah's increase in its divorce rate 'tween '03 & '08 was more than TRIPLE than that of 40 other states!
Also, only 17 states had higher divorce rates than Utah's 1.83%. Here were those rates...notice the entire "Mormon Central" region (Utah-Idaho-Wyoming-Nevada):
1. Nevada, 3.61%
2. Arkansas, 2.58%
3. Wyoming, 2.35%
4. Idaho, 2.25%
5. Mississippi, 2.22%
6. (tie) Florida & Kentucky, 2.21%
8. Alaska, 2.20%
9. New Mexico, 2.09%
10. West Virginia, 2.08%
11. Colorado, 2.07%
12. Arizona, 2.04%
13. Tennessee, 2.02%
14. Alabama, 1.99%
15. Oregon, 1.92%
16. North Carolina, 1.88%
17. Washington, 1.86%
18. Utah, 1.83%
19. (tie) Virginia and Delaware, 1.81%
You would think that with Utah being 60% Lds, that it'd be lower than 18th on the divorce % list.
Well, that WOULD be true; if MORMONism were as good for you as the PR machine claims...